The History of Our Fellowship Hall
Article # 6.
When our Church facility was built in 1967, future plans included the building of a fellowship hall-- 'someday'.
Therefore, we had no fellowship hall as such--just a tiny kitchen area at one end of a double class room near the back door.; However, we wanted covered dish dinners and we managed--somehow! As our attendance grew, our attendance at these fellowship meals grew. We spread out into classrooms, even set up our food tables in our wide hallways, and in an effort to 'be together' at our meals, we even tried having the dining tables set up and down the hallways. After struggling for many years with the limitations of our tiny kitchen (only a stove, sink, refrigerator and no counter space), our ladies 'put their feet down' and demanded that something be done 'and soon'.
So the Session began to study the possibilities. A committee, headed by Ed Green, began work in earnest. This committee came up with a wonderful plan for a fellowship hall to be build in the location set aside for it so many years before. A capitol funds drive began but progressed so slowly that the ladies became very impatient and unhappy. Several even came up with plans for temporary solutions since it seemed that a new building was too far in the future.
Finally, Annette Smith took a good hard look at our facility and proposed a plan for a structure that would serve as a fellowship hall ad could someday be converted to classroom space if the first planned fellowship hall should be built. Her plan was a brilliant idea, and was soon adopted by the Session and we were on our way! Of course, financing for this new construction posed a very big problem! Our prayer was that if the proposed plan was acceptable to the Lord, he would provide a way. He did!
Go back in time to the year 1939 when two new members joined our church, moving their membership from Vineville Presbyterian Church in Macon. Jack and Gertrude Carlton soon became an important part of our church membership. Jack became a Deacon almost immediately. The Carlton's owned a 62 acre farm on the south side of Statesboro on the Claxton Highway which later became US Highway 301.
The Carlton's had no children. Gertrude died in 1967 and Jack died about a year later. Attorney Francis Allen (who many years later became a member of our congregation), had drawn up Jack's will. In it, Jack made some bequest to distant relatives and left the bulk of his property to be sold and all the proceeds to go to his beloved Church.
The Church leadership decided to purchase the property and hold it for awhile. Our Trustee, William Smith and later his son Bill Smith, managed the farm which produced income that provided necessary funds to re-roof the manse, pay for needed repairs to our facility, etc. So when the Fellowship Hall began to become more than a dream, the decision to sell this property was made. Frank Pearson headed up the committee charged with finding a buyer. They worked diligently at their job. The state was planning to build a technical school in Bulloch County, and this committee offered the property for that use. But the state had not made a decision as to the location and time was passing. So the decision was made to divide the property (which was located on both sides of the highway) into sections and to auction them off.
The auction was held March 11, 1987 and the property sold for enough to pay for the Fellowship Hall! (An interesting note: On the morning of the auction, the state announced that a decision had been made as to the location of the new school. Guess where--on US 301 south on a site that included the south side of the Carlton Property!)
Work had begun on the new addition in October of 1986 and just six months later (just in time for the Presbyterian Meeting of the Women of the Church to be held on March 23, 1987) the building was complete. Can you old timers remember how deliriously happy our women were? A dream come true!
The new addition was formally dedicated on April12, 1987 in a ceremony conducted by our pastor, Rev. Larry Mitchell. Many of our members had been involved in the planning and furnishing of our new facility, and everyone felt that they had an important part in its completion. And we wondered, 'How did we ever get along without it?' (Another interesting note: When the Kiwanis Club began to plan their community building, they were so impressed with ours, that they adapted Annette's ideas to suit their needs.)
In March 1994, the addition was formally named 'Carlton Hall' in memory of Jack and Gertrude. What a wonderful gift they left for the Lord's work here in Statesboro, and what a wonderful monument we have to their memory.
-Dot Odom, FPC Historian